(Radio Iowa) – There has been at least an area of moderate drought somewhere in Iowa for the past 172 weeks. This is the longest period of moderate drought in Iowa since the U-S Drought Monitor was launched in 1999. Thursday’s Drought Monitor shows Iowa, Louisiana and Mississippi as the only states with at least 95 percent of the state in moderate drought. State climatologist Justin Glisan says widespread rain last week is by no means a drought buster, but it will allow for some improvement in this week’s drought map.